‘Nurse-In’ Protest Held At Local Target Store

HOMESTEAD (KDKA) – A Texas mom is upset after she was allegedly harassed and kicked out of a Target store for nursing her baby.

Word spread, which sparked a national protest, including one in our area.

It’s being dubbed the “Nurse-In.”

On Wednesday, six women sat breastfeeding their babies inside the Target at the Waterfront in Homestead.

The locally known Milk Truck was also parked outside.

“Moms are told to do one thing that they know is the best for their baby. But, when they do that, they’re discriminated against. And it just feels very wrong,” Jill Miller said.

The alleged incident took place at a Target in Webster, Texas.

Michelle Hickman claims that she sat down in the women’s clothing section to nurse and was sneered at and harassed after refusing to move to a changing room to breast-feed.

According to the Best for Babes organization, Nurse-In protests were planned at over 100 Target stores across the county.

“We’re participating to show some solidarity for breastfeeding mothers, even though nothing’s happened in any Target stores in Pittsburgh that I know of. We still just wanted to support this mother and all breastfeeding mothers,” Miller said.

Some women are asking for better employee training, better policies, or just simply an apology.

“I would appreciate if Target would publicly apologize to this mother who felt absolutely humiliated for doing something totally naturally, feeding her baby,” Miller said.

Target released a statement saying in part, “Target has a long-standing corporate policy that supports breastfeeding in our stores. Guests who choose to breastfeed in public areas of the store are welcome to do so without being made to feel uncomfortable. We continue to educate our team members in stores across the country on store policies to ensure all guests have a great experience.”

Pittsburgh native Heather Abraham joined KDKA in December 2010.
Heather is an award winning journalist. She was nominated for several Emmy's , including for a deeper look into the work of the Pittsburgh Police Vice Squad.
Heather has als...